On August 4th, over 50 state leaders of reproductive rights, health, and justice organizations signed on to a letter that was delivered to the Biden Administration asking that they use more of the tools available to them to protect abortion access in the states. As state leaders we know the work to protect reproductive freedom is in our state and local communities more than ever, and with the people who are on the ground directly responding to this public health crisis. We also know that greater support for abortion access from this Administration is critical. Half of U.S. states are already expected to seriously restrict or ban abortion following the recent Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs, with the possibility of more attacks on reproductive rights to come in the future.  

We are greatly appreciative of the actions that have been proposed in recent executive orders to protect access to reproductive health care services. The actions outlined are an important first step to ensure access to care in the midst of this public health emergency.  

And still, this unprecedented crisis demands a whole-of-government response; to that end, we are sharing additional steps the Administration must take to ensure access to critical health care in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health decision. 

Given that nearly 45% of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned and unintended and that 42% of those end in abortion, it is critical that individuals have the capacity to make their own decisions regarding whether to carry a pregnancy to term. In addition, abortion is an integral, life-saving procedure that may be utilized throughout a pregnancy to save the life of a patient or to support fertility. 

The situation on the ground in many states is changing rapidly, creating confusion and impeding access to critical and timely reproductive healthcare … to that end, we urge the Administration to take the following actions: